Secretary of State Dean Heller said Wednesday that Nevada has
become the first state to demand a voter-verifiable receipt printer
on new touch-screen voting machines being purchased for the 2004
elections.

Heller picked Oakland, Calif.-based Sequoia Voting Systems
over Diebold Election Systems of North Canton, Ohio, as the supplier
of the new direct-recording electronic voting machines that will
be bought with federal funds.

Heller also decertified all punch-card voting machines in
Nevada as of next Sept. 1, just before the state's primary, saying
it's his duty"to provide voters with the highest level of
confidence that elections in this state are fair, unbiased and
secure."

"A paper trail is an intrinsic component of voter confidence,
"Heller said in explaining why he insisted that Sequoia--which
already has nearly 3,000 machines installed in Clark County--
include the receipt printers on new machines for the upcoming
elections. The printers must be added on existing machines by
2006.

Heller mentioned the Florida elections in 2000, saying, "The
Florida debacle and the chaos created by the'hanging and pregnant
chad'controversy clearly demonstrate the need to move forward
with advanced technology."

While the printers add to the cost of the voting systems,
Heller said "money takes a back seat to accuracy, security
and voter confidence." The printers let voters see their
ballot choices before finalizing their votes.

The decision to go with Sequoia machines was based in part
on a review by the state Gaming Control Board's slot machine
experts who issued a report saying the Diebold machine that was
analyzed "represented a legitimate threat to the integrity
of the election process."

Marc McDermott, the GCB's electronic services division chief,
said the Sequoia machine"represents a much more secure option."

Heller also said more than two-thirds of the state's voters
already use Sequoia voting machines, and Clark County-- encompassing
Las Vegas -- has used Sequoia for the past 10 years.

He added that now every polling site in the state will have
the same voting system and technology, and that will help as
the state shifts to a statewide voter registration system prior
to the 2006 elections.

Funding for the Sequoia machines and the printers will come
from federal funds allotted to the states under the Help America
Vote Act. Nevada will get a minimum state allotment of $5 million
under part of the act, followed by another $15 million under
other provisions of the new law.